(Extra Story) Master Uncle 07

Ever since he figured out the correct way to use that book, Wang Qianyue had become almost insufferably arrogant.

Catching demons? Driving out evil spirits? As long as the price was right!

Of course, he also knew the thing was one-time-use only, so he still spent more time putting on a show of being mystical than actually doing anything.

But this time, he couldn't resist—that plain-dressed old man had offered far too much.

A full ten taels of silver.

Wang Qianyue was still mulling it over when he turned his head and saw people in the street investigating two murder cases. The sketches on the wanted posters were awfully crude, but a daoist priest and a young acolyte—even he knew those had something to do with him, not least because he'd gone and offed a prefect of that size.

So Wang Qianyue made a snap decision, tucked away his odds and ends, and helped the old man along, acting like the old man's very own son. He managed to slip out of the city without trouble.

"Jeez, that was terrifying. It's not like I killed those people—why are they after us?!" Wang Qianyue grumbled.

He'd been furious at the time, but once the deed was done, the fear started to creep in.

That was over twenty lives lost—who wouldn't be scared?

Little Mouse wasn't scared. He went on eating and drinking as usual, but Wang Qianyue figured that was normal: first, because Little Mouse was just a kid, and second, because strictly speaking, Little Mouse wasn't exactly human.

Still, they had to keep their hides intact.

There was nowhere else to go at the moment, so he decided to follow the old man back to his village. As long as there was money to be made, why not?

The old man's surname was Ma. He'd come from some obscure little mountain village, and it wasn't until they'd climbed over the third mountain that Wang Qianyue finally lost his patience.

"Old man, where the hell do you actually live? You're not some bandit sent to do me in, are you?"

The old man was exhausted too, and he waved his hands frantically at the question: "How could I ever dare to harm you, Master Daoist? Truly, I've run out of options—that's why I thought I'd go into the city and try my luck..."

"Oh?" Wang Qianyue plopped himself down on the ground and glanced at Little Mouse, who was munching on dry rations with great relish. "If you don't explain yourself today, I'm not taking another step with you."

Seeing this, the old man hesitated, then stammered out the whole story.

Their village sat on a cliff, supposedly founded by people fleeing war a hundred years ago. But ever since he could remember, the village had followed one rule:

Sacrifice to the mountain god.

There was a mountain god said to dwell on the Black Cliff behind the village, causing trouble from time to time. Eventually, someone came up with the idea of offering a young woman to the god every Lantern Grass Festival.

Strangely enough, as long as a woman was offered, the god stopped making trouble. So the custom had been passed down ever since.

No one knew what became of those women wrapped in red cloth after they were given up. No one wanted to know.

"That's no mountain god! That's a monster!" The old man's voice grew agitated as he said this.

Wang Qianyue and Little Mouse exchanged a glance.

Old Man Ma had been bold in his youth, brave enough to go into the mountains alone to hunt wild boar. Once, when he set out into the mountains, his family had urged him not to go—the Lantern Grass Festival was approaching—but Ma wouldn't listen. He figured offering a sacrifice to the mountain god didn't stop him from hunting; a man's got to eat.

But as soon as he got into the woods, something felt wrong. The mist between the trees was unnaturally thick, and there was a cold, damp stench, like something had gone rotten. Old Man Ma knew the area well, but that day he got lost.

He wandered around until he spotted a faint glimmer of light through the fog. He moved toward it, getting excited as he drew closer, when suddenly his foot found nothing but air—he nearly tumbled off the cliff.

It was only then that Old Man Ma realized he'd climbed up to the top of the cliff without knowing it, and the light he'd seen was from below: the villagers performing their ritual offering to the mountain god.

Old Man Ma vaguely remembered that this year's sacrificial "bride" was the daughter of the old carpenter at the east end of the village.

A bit of a shame, that one—she was a pretty girl.

Old Man Ma lay flat on his stomach. Curiosity stirred in his chest, and he wanted to see whether or not the mountain god actually existed.

The villagers hurriedly kowtowed, lit incense, and then threw down the bound woman before rushing off. The girl's sobs drifted up to Old Man Ma's ears. He felt a pang of pity and even thought about going down to rescue her—after all, the villagers would never know whether she'd been wed to the god or not.

But just as he was about to move, a thicker, ranker stench of blood and rot surged up, almost making him vomit.

Then he saw a dark shape darting through the mist, moving at incredible speed, heading straight for the girl wrapped in red cloth.

Old Man Ma couldn't make out what it was, but that smell told him this was no mountain god.

The thing was like a serpent; it grabbed the girl with its mouth, but the next moment, its head split into three, and the girl's body was torn apart and devoured on the spot.

Old Man Ma was so scared he went numb, and he quickly tucked his head down.

Thankfully, after finishing its meal, the thing left. Old Man Ma had no idea how he made it home, but after he got back, he fell seriously ill and never went hunting in the mountains again.

He never dared to say that what he'd seen was a monster; he buried that secret deep inside.

But every Lantern Grass Festival, when he watched the girls being sent off, something gnawed at him. Still, he never said a word. That thing was too terrifying. Old Man Ma even thought that sacrificing a few lives to keep the village safe might not be such a bad deal—especially the girls.

Until his son married and had a daughter.

"So you're saying your granddaughter's about to be sent as the offering?" Wang Qianyue caught on.

Old Man Ma's face twisted in misery: "I had no choice, Master Daoist. I tried to take my family and flee, but the village head had everyone watched. The only reason I managed to get out is that they think I'm just a useless old man."

He sighed. "Everyone in the village worships the mountain god, and fears it too. Nearly every household has given up a sacrifice. Mine is the first time, so they'll never let my granddaughter get away."

"Pah—where were you when you were watching other people's tragedies back then?" Wang Qianyue could be sharp-tongued when he felt like it.

"I... I... I couldn't do anything! What good would it have done for me to say it was a monster?"

"Let's go." Wang Qianyue waved at Little Mouse.

"Huh? Go where?"

"Down the mountain!" Wang Qianyue said. "Didn't you hear? A man-eating monster! I can't fight that! Come on, let's get out of here, hurry."

Little Mouse didn't move. Instead, he stared at the old man.

"You're not telling the truth."

Wang Qianyue had already taken a step, but at those words he stopped and turned back: "Huh?"

"People don't fear and worship something that doesn't exist for no reason. Are you sure the people in your village really don't know they're worshipping a monster?"

Old Man Ma froze.

"You've been worshipping this thing for so long, and never once thought of asking the authorities for help? The imperial court has the power to deal with demons." Little Mouse's eyes flickered. "Your story's full of holes. Did you really take us for fools? An old man from some remote village casually hands over a whole ingot of silver? Since when does farming pay that well?"

Wang Qianyue felt a little awkward. Was the kid taking a jab at him just now?